William mason



(N Mpae1.)-

\ W. MASON.

MAGAZINE PIRE ARM.

No. 354,427. A Patented Deo. 14, 1886.

UNITED STATES Y PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM MASON, OF NEV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE VlN- CHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MAGAZINE FIRE-ARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part oi Letters Patent No. 354,427, dated December V14, 1886.

Application filed May 3, 1896. Serial No. 00,937; (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MIisoN, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Im- 5 provement in Magazine Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,

1o and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure l, a side view showing the parts in the closed position; Fig. 2, a side view, portion of the handle broken away, and showing I 5 the parts in the extreme open position, Fig. 3', a transverse section forward of the fore-arm, looking rearward; Fig. 4, a transverse section through the handle.

This invention relates to an improvement in zo that class of fire-arms in which the breechpiece is operated by means of a slide beneath the fore-arm, and adapted to work longitudinally toward and from the receiver, and with a connection therefrom to the breech-piece, so

2 5 that the backward and forward movement of the slide under the action of the hand imparts opening and closing movement to the breechpiece and corresponding movement to the mechanism of the arm, and is specially' adapted 3o to that class of armsin which the breech-piece is hung so as to swing backward and downward in opening, and in which connection is made with the breech-piece below the receiver, the object of the invention being to make the 3 5 slide or handle independent of the fore-arm, magazine, or barrel in its sliding movement, to avoid difficulties which exist in employing either of the fixed parts of the arm as a guide;

and it consists in a link hinged beneath the 4o arm forward of the handle, and upon which the handle is adapted to slide, the handle constructed with an arm extending rearward therefrom into connection with the operative lever below the pivot, as more fully hereinafter de- 45 scribed.

In the illustration I show the breech-piece as of the class now known as the Browning Arm,? and in which a downward movement is given to the breech-piece in the first part of 5o its opening movement, for the purpose of releasing the breech-piece from its abutment 5 but the inventiongis applicable to other arms in which the breech-piece is hung upon a pivot with simply rotative movement, the peculiar construction of the breech-piece or operative g, 5 mechanism of the arm constituting no part of the present invention.

A represents the receiver; B, the barrel; C, the magazine, inclosed by the fore-arm D, all in the usual manner. 6o

E is the breech-piece, which is adapted to swing upon a pivot, F, below the barrel, and so that the 1breech-piece may swing backward and downward in opening. The breechpiece extends below the receiver in the form of 65 a lever or arm, G. This may be of any convenient construction in order to make engagement with the breech-piece.

H is the handle, which embraces the forearm, and preferably consists of a metal inner 7o portion inclosed by a wood or other covering.

To th'e rear end of the handle H an arm, I, extends as a xed part of the handle, and its rear end hung to the breech-piece below its pivot, as at J. 75

K is a link or lever, its forward end hinged to the arm upon a pivot, L, forward of the handle.

The handle H is constructed with a longitudinal groove or opening corresponding to t-he 8o said link K, as seen in Fig. 4, and so that the handle may slide freely on the link K, if permitted so to do. Vhen the parts are in the closed position, as seen in Fig. l, the handle lies close up under the fore-arm, the arm I fol- 85 lowing close beneath the receiver to its connection with the breech-piece. If, now, it be desired to open the breech-piece, the handle H is forced forward. In doing this it draws upon the breech-piece, turning the part to which it 9o is connected downward and forward, as indicated in broken lines7 Fig. 1, until the point of connection comes directly below the pivot upon which the breech-piece is hung. In this movement the handle' slides on the link K as 95 its guide, and thelinkK turningupon its hinge L to accommodate the downward movement of the pivot, the handle will be correspondingly turned downward, asindieated in broken lines in Fig. l. After passing the extreme lower Ioo point, (indicatedin brokenlines,Fig.1,)the continued forward movement of the handle takes its point of connection with the breech-piece forward and upward, bringingthe handle again nearly to a position parallel with the fore-arm, the link K still serving as the guide for the movementof the handle, and turning uponits hinge to accommodate the downward and forward, then upward and forward, movement of the handle in the opening movement of the breech-piece. Onythe return the same action of thehandle upon the link K occurs, but in the reverse direction. In practice this swinging .movement of the handle is perfectly natural,

and its support entirely independent Aof the arm otherwise than the link K, and avoids all rubbing movement between the handle andthe other parts of the arm. The link K gives a firm support to the handle.

In the classof fire arms in which the breechpiece and mechanism ofthe arm are operated by a lever hung in the receiver, and so as to swing downward and forward in opening-such, for illustration, as the Winchester arm-the connection from the handle will'be made directly to the lever below its pivot, and, for illustration of such modification, the part represented as G maybe understood to be the forward part of the lever of the Winchester arin. I therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to any particular class of breechpiece, it only being essential that the operation of the arm shall be produced by means of a lever below the receiver.

I have represented the invention as applied to a magazine-gun, and it is to such arms that this class of operating device is usually applied; but it is not to be understood as limited to a magazinevgun.

I claim- In a breech-loading tire-arm in which the mechanism is actuated by a lever beneath the receiver, the combination therewith of a handle beneath the barrel forward of the receiver,

with an arm extending from its rear end and hung to the operating-lever below its pivot, a link hinged to the frame of the gun forward of the handle, and the handle constructed with a groove. into which said link extends and upon which link the said handle slides, substantially as described.

. Y WILLIAM MASON.

Witnesses:

DANIEL H. VEADER, LEE H. DANIELs. 

